Education
My roots are here in north Tulsa where I grew up. Families moved to this area because of its vibrant, unique neighborhoods. It was a great place for young couples to buy a house and raise children. Like many of you, I attended schools right here in our own community. I still carry the memories of those schools. They helped define who I am, and they set me on the path that I still follow today. We expected the next generation to attend the same schools, and to create their own lifelong memories. Schools are the heart of a community. They connect the older generations to the younger ones. When we lose our schools, we lose our identity.
Today, things are very different. Two of the schools I attended, Dunbar and Whittier, have closed. Even my grandmother’s school, Lowell, is now gone. Children growing up in this community today have been robbed of the chance to attend those schools and share in the memories and experiences they had to offer. Our next generation cannot compete for jobs without a good education. When we need our public schools the most, they are being closed and the buildings torn to the ground.
The closing schools hurt us on many levels. In rural Oklahoma, towns revolve around the high school. It is the same in our urban neighborhoods. When a school closes, it devalues our property. Families have more than just money invested in their homes; they have invested their pride and history. Most parents would do anything to give their children a fair shot at life, but as the schools move away, families can’t afford to move with them. Many families have lived in the district for two, three, even four generations, and they want to stay and raise their own children in clean, safe, thriving neighborhoods. We have paid our taxes and provided the backbone of the city’s work force, and have earned the right to bring up our children in a community where they can get a good education.
I believe we can fix our education problems. The schools are the life blood of any community. Reviving our public education system is key to reviving north Tulsa. We can provide a bright future for our children, while retaining our unique personality, and improving the value of our homes.
Early childhood education gives our children a good start in life, and it saves us money in the long run. A Universal Pre-K program levels the playing field for students entering our public school system. It prepares children for the kind of work they will do in school, and it sparks the desire to learn. Students who attend Pre-K get more out of school, and have a greater chance of attending college and getting a good job. Investing in Pre-K can reduce crime and poverty. I will strengthen and expand this valuable asset.
Charter schools have provided an alternative until the school system steps up. As your representative, I will press for proper school facilities in our own neighborhoods, where they belong. There are some proposals that would make the problem worse, by moving our scarce resources away from the schools that need them the most. I would oppose a voucher system that would fail to address the real problems.
An audit done in 2005 for the Legislative Service Bureau showed that the state per-student spending would need to be increased to almost $7,000 for every student in Oklahoma. Our state has been saddled with millions of dollars in unfunded mandates for education by federal laws. The imposed requirements cost more than money, they cost valuable classroom time. Educators will not be able to teach our students to be critical thinkers if they spend all their time helping students memorize material for standardized tests. To meet the challenges, we will have to commit more money to our schools and modernize our methods of measuring success. We must not shortchange our children. I will fight to give them everything they need to receive a top notch education.
To have the best schools, we need the best educators. To attract the best educators to Oklahoma, we need high standards, and we need to compensate them fairly for the vital service they provide. Oklahoma needs to give our educators a raise that will bring their pay up to the regional average. School employee family health insurance should be equal to state employees. Instructional development and mentoring programs can be expanded. I will also back the passage of the Teacher Protection Act, which will help educators keep control of their classrooms. In addition to these specific actions, I fully support the Oklahoma Education Association, and I will help ensure a level playing field in their negotiations.
Retired educators deserve our respect. They devoted their working lives to shaping the future of Oklahoma. I support the Oklahoma Teacher Retirement System. I will vote for cost of living raises for retired educators in line with the Consumer Price Index-Urban. Retired educators should also be considered for tutoring and mentoring opportunities in at-risk schools. We can increase the health insurance subsidy for retired educators. By providing excellent benefits for retired educators, we can ensure that the best educators stay in Oklahoma.
Vo-tech is one of Oklahoma’s most valuable assets. Teaming with union apprenticeship programs our Oklahoma Vo-tech system can prepare young adults or dislocated workers for jobs that pay a living wage, provide a safe work environment and offer healthcare benefits. As part of the apprenticeship program these students will be able to complete a program while they receive on the job experience AND earn a living wage. With the greening of our community our Vo-tech programs can expand knowledge in auto mechanics, manufacturing and drafting and design to include green certifications in wind technology or automotive retrofitting as well as sustainable building design. I would like to see these ideas grow in our area and would support funding to make certain these programs are available.
Higher education should also be a high priority in the state’s budget. I will put my energy into fully funding programs that make higher education affordable and available to more Oklahomans, like the Oklahoma Higher Learning Assistance Program (OHLAP). The more college graduates we have in Oklahoma, the more businesses with high paying jobs will be attracted here.
My commitment to education inspired me to get involved in three races for Tulsa school board candidates. I have done everything in my power to ensure that the school board includes good people who are looking out for us. I don’t just talk about improving education; I have walked the walk. We need more than words, we need action. I have been a woman of action in the north Tulsa community, and I will bring the same energy and determination to the Oklahoma House of Representatives for district 72.